Safe Travel Alliance, a coalition of public and private stakeholders that seeks to elevate the safety standards in transportation and travel in the Philippines, said on Monday that the long-delayed Philippine Transportation Safety Board (PTSB) is “ripe for immediate passage.”
As both houses of Congress have passed their respective bills for the creation of the said non-regulatory body, what needs to be done now, according to the coalition, is the immediate manifestation of a bicameral meeting (bicam) for the quick passage of the legislation.
“Both houses have approved the bills on third and final reading, what is merely lacking is a bicam to reconcile the disagreeing views of some provisions of the two bills. Once reconciled and ratified by both houses the bill can finally be endorsed for enactment by the President,” the group said.
The measure also seeks to create a non-regulatory and independent agency attached to the Office of the President to be the primary agency responsible for the conduct of “impartial investigation” into transportation-related accidents and incidents.
The PTSB will be tasked to improve transportation safety measures that will help in the prevention of transportation accidents and mitigation of dangers to human lives and property; and to ensure the implementation of transportation safety standards.
“The Philippine Transportation bill has languished in the legislature for over two decades,” the coalition said. “This important reform bill creating the PTSB is ripe for immediate passage.”
The creation of the PTSB has long been needed, according to the coalition, given the statistics of travel mishaps that it described as “mind-boggling.”